Bob Hope Airport sees slight decline in passengers

Report: After two-month increase in passengers, airfield had 1.3% dip in February.

April 08, 2014|By Arin Mikailian, arin.mikailian@latimes.com

File Photo: Patrons at Bob Hope Airport use one of nine… (Courtesy of Bob…)

After a two-month boost in passengers at Bob Hope Airport, there was a 1.3% decline in February compared to the same time last year, though the percentage of occupied seats on planes grew, according to the latest passenger report.

The airfield handled 278,420 passengers in February, compared to 282,073 in February 2013, according to a report released Monday by the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority.

Six consecutive months leading toward the end of last year saw continuous declines followed by a jump in December and January, likely spurred by the holidays, said Dan Feger, the airport's executive director.

Airlines trimming their overall number of flights has played a role in generating fewer passengers, but that effort, in turn, is leading to more seats filled on aircraft flying out of the airfield, Feger said.

In February, there was a 4.1% increase in occupied seats aboard local flights, according to the authority report.

"It's an indication of the airlines trying to adjust how they offer flights to match what they perceive to be the demand," Feger said.

So far this year, there have been 580,809 passengers at Bob Hope, a 0.9% rise from last year, according to the report.

Parking revenue saw an increase in February, growing to $1.45 million, up from $1.38 million a year ago, mainly due to the end of saving a portion of parking funds to cover past litigation costs, the report stated.

After two years, airport officials have stopped allocating $1 from each parking transaction to reimburse itself following a 2011 settlement with Lockheed Martin Corp., said airport spokesman Victor Gill.

Passengers numbers at other airports varied. At Los Angeles International Airport, the number of travelers grew by 6.3% compared to February 2013, while John Wayne Airport saw a 2.9% uptick.

Ontario Airport reported a 2.4% drop in passengers, while Long Beach Airport's figure slid by 7.6%.